Scientist slams Hannity for suggesting condom research is wasteful spending

A researcher who published a federally-funded study last year on possible barriers to the correct usage of condoms told Politico on Friday that his research was necessary to address real-world problems after Fox News host Sean Hannity suggested the study shouldn’t have been funded because it amounted to wasteful government spending.

“I would tell Sean, if you look at the number of people who are affected by sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and unwanted pregnancies — there’s clearly a need for prevention intervention programs to be developed further and we need research like this to address problems that impact people’s health,” said Erick Janssen, a senior scientist on an Indiana University who published his study in conjunction with the Kinsey Institute last year.

“This is not a study for how to put on a condom,” he added. “This is also not about why people might not like condoms. Everybody knows why people don’t like condoms. It’s more complicated than that.”

The study, which received $423,000 over three years from a National Institutes of Health grant, found that 10 to 28 percent of men report problems associated with condom use, meaning that these men might be reluctant to use them and thereby spread health- and life-threatening infections to their sexual partners or increase the rate of unintended pregnancy.

“Did you know that your paycheck was hit in order to fund a study on how to use condoms correctly? I don’t make this up. In Indiana University, they received that money as part of a stimulus grant and it cost you over $423,000,” Hannity said. “Oh, and surprisingly, it created zero jobs.”

Tucker Carlson, as a guest on Hannity’s show, agreed with Hannity and said, “If you don’t know how to use a condom correctly, there’s nothing the federal government can do to help you. You are beyond help.”

“Maybe we need a national nurse,” Hannity said, “who will actually come to your house and help you.”

About the Author

Kay Steiger is the managing editor of Raw Story. Her contributions have appeared in The American Prospect, The Atlantic, Campus Progress, The Guardian, In These Times, Jezebel, Religion Dispatches, RH Reality Check, and others. You can follow her on Twitter @kaysteiger.